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What we want to fund

You must work with people aged 8 to 24 who can: 

  • choose when and how they're involved in some or all of the project 
  • influence and make decisions about the project 

Outcomes your project must meet

Projects must also meet at least one of these outcomes.  

Your project must help children and young people: 

  • build positive relationships that improve their wellbeing  
  • learn more about themselves or other people 
  • take action on issues that matter to them 
  • learn skills that help them feel more confident for the future 

Build positive relationships that improve their wellbeing

We want to fund projects that help children and young people connect with others. This could be with peers, family or trusted adults.  

A trusted adult is someone a child or young person has chosen to trust. They could be any adult they feel safe with and supported by. 

We want to see work that’ll improve children and young people’s health and wellbeing through these relationships. For example, your work could help them: 

  • feel less lonely or isolated 
  • have access to spaces where they feel safe  

Learn more about themselves or other people 

You could help them: 

  • understand more about themselves and feel understood by other people 
  • express who they are  
  • learn about other people’s identities, cultures or experiences 

Projects should support children and young people: 

  • to be creative 
  • in a way that feels right for them 

Examples of projects we might fund

You could help children and young people: 

  • explore their experiences of discrimination through theatre 
  • from ethnically minoritised communities to run an event about their culture 
  • who are LGBTQ+ and want to hold regular peer support activities 

Take action on issues that matter to them

We want to fund projects that help children and young people feel like they can take action on issues that are important to them. Your project could help them: 

  • learn about their rights and how to use them 
  • decide what issues are important to them and learn how to influence them 
  • feel more confident to take action on these issues 
  • decide how they can get involved  
  • see the impact of their involvement 

Examples of projects we might fund

You could help children and young people: 

  • who are neurodiverse to learn about their rights, decide what they want to change and how they could do this 
  • plan and run workshops to help their local community reduce its impact on the environment 
  • learn about how social media affects them and their peers, and help others to spot false or misleading content 

Learn skills that help them feel more confident for the future

We want to fund projects that help children and young people get the skills they need. They should have a say in what and how they learn, so it feels right for them. 

For example, a project could help children and young people: 

  • learn life skills like managing their money or looking after their home 
  • develop workplace skills like planning, organising or working with others 

What else we expect you to do

Working with adults at risk, children and young people 

You need to have a policy in place that explains how they’ll be safe. If you get funding you’ll need to follow our safeguarding expectations. 

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) website has resources and advice on safeguarding.